Originally published December 29 2005
Death of writer brings much-needed attention to Marfan syndrome
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Jonathan Larson, author of "Rent," the hugely successful play, died of Marfan syndrome, a genetic condition that afflicts one in every 5,000 Americans.
The opening of the movie "Rent" last week was a bittersweet event -- the author of the original play, Jonathan Larson, never lived to see the remarkable success.
Larson died the night of the play's final dress rehearsal of a torn aneurysm in his chest, the underlying cause of which was Marfan syndrome, a disease that affects one in 5,000 Americans, reported WNBC-TV in New York.
"Marfan syndrome is a genetic condition," said Dr. Richard Devereaux, of the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
Michael Murray, 14, has many of the classic signs of Marfan syndrome.
He's almost 6-foot-4 with very long arms, legs, fingers and toes.
His mother noticed the signs right from birth, but doctors didn't immediately make the Marfan syndrome connection.
"I took him into a dozen doctors or so, to ask why were his joints loose, why was he floppy, why did he have long fingers, long toes," said Karen Murray, Michael's mother.
"He had an indentation in his chest bone."
What finally convinced doctors was an echocardiogram of Michael's aorta -- it was enlarged.
"(Patients receive) medications that lower blood pressure and slow the pulse," said Devereaux, who added that surgical repair of the aorta may be necessary "when it gets large enough."
As for Michael, the treatment doesn't seem to slow him down.
Larson didn't know he had Marfan syndrome, even though he had some of the signs, which include tall stature; long arms, fingers and toes; flat feet; loose joints; indented or protruding sternum; severe eye problems; curved spine; crowded teeth; and a high arched palate.
One of these signs doesn't mean someone has Marfan syndrome, but if they have two or more signs, they should have an eye exam and an echocardiogram to rule out an aneurysm, since that's the life-threatening part of the syndrome.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml